Nowadays, maritime disasters sound distant, unlikely and the stuff of movies. However, to this day, catastrophes involving ships occur with more regularity than most know of. So, on this particular occasion we decided to rank the deadliest shipwrecks in history, some of which have occurred within the past two decades.
We chose to take into account only those disasters which occurred during peacetime and discarded those which took place during wartime. That includes the biggest shipwreck of all time in terms of fatalities: the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff by a Soviet submarine during World War II, in which 9,400 lives were lost. Nevertheless, some of the wreckages in our countdown did occur during wartime, but their fatalities were unrelated to military action. In our list you will also find shipwrecks that were triggered by bad weather, overcrowding, faulty design and human error. If you find this list on the most catastrophic maritime disasters interesting, you must also check out our countdown on The Ocean’s 10 Biggest Shipping Companies.
Now then, let’s take a look at the countdown and find out which were the deadliest shipwrecks in history.
10. Toya Maru
Year: 1954
Country: Japan
Death toll: 1,153
Events: This Japanese train ferry sank during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait.
Nine more tragic shipwrecks which claimed thousands of lives are recounted on the next pages, as our countdown of the deadliest shipwrecks in history continues.
9. Royal Navy fleet
Year: 1707
Country: Great Britain
Death toll: 1,400 – 2,000
Events: Known as the “Scilly naval disaster of 1707”, this shipwreck actually involved four ships: HMS Association, HMS Eagle, HMS Romney and HMS Firebrand. These vessels sank after sailing through dangerous reefs from Gibraltar to Portsmouth.
8. Salem Express
Year: 1991
Country: Saudi Arabia
Death toll: 1,400
Events: This passenger ship sank in the Red Sea after colliding with Hyndman Reef. Although the official number of lives lost is 470, there are claims that state that the death toll was much higher, as there were many unlisted passengers returning from their pilgrimages to Mecca.
7. RMS Titanic
Year: 1912
Country: United Kingdom
Death toll: 1,517
Events: There’s no doubt about it, the sinking of the Titanic is the most famous shipwreck of all time. Needless to retell, this supposedly ‘unsinkable’ vessel struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage, which resulted in her sinking.
6. Tek Sing
Year: 1822
Country: China
Death toll: 1,600
Events: The Chinese vessel was headed to Indonesia, carrying porcelain goods and Chinese immigrants to the then-Dutch colony. After taking an unfortunate shortcut, the Tek Sing ran aground on a reef and sank. This shipwreck is known as the “Titanic of the East”.
5. Neptune
Year: 1993
Country: Haiti
Death toll: 1,700
Events: Despite the maximum capacity of the ferry being 650 passengers, more than 2,000 people were aboard the Neptune that February 16. Due to the overcrowding, one of the decks collapsed onto the one below it and the vessel eventually capsized. The main reason behind the lives lost that day was the lack of emergency equipment including radio, radar, lifeboats and lifejackets.
4. Le Joola
Year: 2002
Country: Senegal
Death toll: 1,864
Events: On a ship that was meant to carry 500 passengers, 2,000 were on board that day. After facing a storm off the coast of Gambia Le Joola capsized within just five minutes, throwing its passengers into the sea. Eventually most of them died while waiting for help due to the freezing temperature of the water.
3. Mont-Blanc
Year: 1917
Country: Canada
Death toll: 2,000 (estimated) / 1,950 (known dead)
Events: In a historical event that would be later known as the Halifax Explosion, the French ship Mont-Blanc, headed to Europe and loaded with explosives to be used in World War I, collided with the Norwegian Imo. As the collision took place in Nova Scotia’s Halifax Harbor, not only did the accident affect the ships, but also the surrounding area.
2. Kiangya
Year: 1948
Country: China
Death toll: 2,750 – 3,920
Events: The passenger steamship sank when hitting a Japanese mine left over from World War II. The situation took place at the mouth of the Huangpu River, and apparently the ship was carrying Chinese refugees attempting to leave the Communist regime behind.
1. Doña Paz
Year: 1987
Country: Philippines
Death toll: 4,386
Events: The deadliest shipwreck in history occurred when an overcrowded passenger ferry, Doña Paz, collided with an oil tanker, MT Vector. The resulting fire and sinking left only 26 survivors.